Stronger than you think
by Annarchy21
Summary: Post-Tartaros. Laxus and The Thunder Legion have taken on a mission that they are unable to complete, and Freed discovers that they need the help of a celestial mage. The Thunder Legion know who they want to go to, but what path will this lead Laxus and Lucy down? I do not own Fairytail or the cannon characters, I only own my original characters and the non-cannon situations.
1. Stronger Than You Think

Third Person POV

It was a dark, cloudy day in Crocus. She could see storms gathering and lightning spark up in the clouds, the clap of thunder rolling over the flowers and making the celestial mags shiver in delight. She loved summer storms almost as much as she loved a clear starry sky in the dead of winter.

Breathing in the metallic scent of the coming storm, she smiled quietly to herself and closed her eyes, letting the breeze lift her now shoulder blade length hair and tease the edges of her senses. She heard a loud crack! Hit the ground in front of her. She let out a rather loud squeak and felt her heart skip a few beats.

Looking down at the the ground, she was shocked by the sight of a certain lightning dragon slayer standing in the courtyard.

(A/N hehe, pun toootally intended)

"EEHH?! Laxus? What are you doing in Crocus?!" Lucy screeched. Without giving him the chance to even open his mouth and answer her question, the celestial mage had already backed out of the window and sprinted out to the courtyard to greet her new guest. As soon as she was a few feet in front of the Dragon Slayer, she stopped dead in her tracks, "Are... Are you really here?" She almost whispered.

"Well Blondie, you're not seeing things, that's for sure." He smirked after saying those words and turned so that he was facing her a little more solidly.

After those words, Lucy pounced and wrapped her arms around Laxus's neck, startling him a bit. After a moment though, the slayer let a small smile form of his usual non-expressive face as he wrapped a single arm around her waist, holding her to him.

She finally hopped down from him, giving him the biggest, happiest smile she possibly could, but remained rather close, to the point she had to strain to look up at him. She would never tell anyone this, especially Team Natsu, knowing how overprotective they all were, that she had always had a crush on a certain Dragon slayer. The only people who knew were Levy and Wendy. Not even Carla knew. She didn't know when exactly she had started liking him, she just knew that she'd always felt a connection. And then of course the events of Phantom Lord and The Battle of Fairy Tail happened and just as quickly as she'd come, he was gone. She had felt a small tug of heartache when he had been exiled, but Tenroe Island had fixed that right up. Seeing him trust and love the Fairy Tail family... she had wanted to run up and hug him tight to her like she had just now and it had taken the distraction of Natsu fighting the former guild master to draw her attentions away.

He looked down at her, seemingly surprised to see how close she remained to him, and she could see the small smile still retained on his features, "Hey, Blondie. How have you been these past months?"

"Oh! Well I've been doing really well here. I've been writing articles for sorcerer weekly and that takes up quite a bit of my time. I just wished I had some friends other than my spirits and Jason here..." she continued, almost sadly, as her famous smile faultered.

"What do you mean you wished you had friends here? I figured Natsu would have followed you here like a lost puppy. Hell, that's all he ever did in the guild anyways." He growled, a staunch scowl forming on his face at the thought of the male being near Lucy.

"He left. With just a note. Training, or something like that. After Fairy Tail was disbanded, everybody went their separate ways. I came here to pursue my writing. Levy, Gajeel, and Lily went to the counsel, Natsu went off training with Happy, Gray and Juvia went up north I think, and Erza left too. And of course everybody else went their separate ways too. So, I've been here, working on my writing, living in a new apartment in the capital, and finally being okay with being on my own again. So, enough about me though, how have you been doing Laxus?" And she replaced the gentle smile that had been on her lips during her explanation with a big grin.

He looked at her, understanding written in his eyes, "I've been doing pretty well. Decided to join another guild with the Thunder Legion. We were on a mission recently and that's why I'm here, actually..." Lucy felt her eyes widen at his words. Why would the Thunder Legion be here if they were on a mission? She hadn't heard of any disturbances lately...

"We need your help."

Laxus POV

"We need your help." I loathe to admit it, but there was no other way to do what we needed to do without her. I had fought Freed and the others tooth and nail against asking for her help. I couldn't stand the thought of putting her in danger, not only that but she didn't need to get dragged into our mess that we had accepted. I don't give a damn how strong she is, she doesn't need to be involved. Unfortunately for me though, it was three against one. So I volunteered to come get her since my way of travel is much faster, and maybe I could convince her to say no.

Her smile only faltered a little bit, instead forming into a small "o" with her big brown orbs widening a fraction of an inch, "Help? You need my help? Honestly I couldn't possibly know why. I'm just a celestial mage, I don't even have very many offensive spells. I'm smart, but so is Freed and he's better with runes and ancient languages. So unless your situation calls for my specific knowledge, I don't know why you wouldn't ask someone else." She ended with her hands clasped behind her back with her hips cocked a little to the left and her her face scrunched up, chewing her lip with worry. I couldn't help but marvel at her. She doubted her own strength so much and looked at herself so harshly. She was one of the strongest mages I knew.

"Being a holder type mage makes you no less powerful than any other mage. And that being said, you're one of the strongest people I've ever met, magic or no magic. And yes. We do need your help. We took a job and we... can't complete it. You were the first person who came to mind to ask for help. Honestly, your the only person. We could have asked Yukino or the princess I suppose, but the others didn't want to ask someone who we didn't know that well and who's from a different guild. They also didn't want to bother royalty. So they insisted that we come ask you about helping us out. You'll get a portion of the reward and some adventure too I suppose." I finished. It felt almost weird talking this much around someone who wasn't the Thunder Legion or gramps. She seemed to read my mind too.

"You know," she started, a small giggle escaping her, "I've never really heard you talk this much. You always seemed so... untouchable. Mysterious. I always wanted to try talking to you but you seemed so uninterested and aloof. It makes me so happy to know that you trust me and feel comfortable enough with me to come and ask for help. Of course I'll help you!" She grinned up at me, bouncing a little from foot to foot with how excitable she was. Seeing her hair sway to and fro, her eyes alight with joy and sincerity, almost seeming to be hiding something else in their depths, and the knowledge that that gleaming grin was all for me, set my face and neck aflame with heat.

"You really thought that about me that way? Weird. That's how I thought about you..."

"Well... Lets start fresh then!" I looked down to see her cheeks slightly red, as if blushing, and her hand stuck out, as if waiting for me to grab it; so I did, "My name is Lucy Heartfillia and I'm a celestial mage. I have nine of the twelve zodiac keys, as well as five silver keys. I was a member of the Fairy Tail Guild before its disbandment and now I work as a journalist for Sorcerers Weekly under Jason. I hope we can be friends!" She smiled brightly, seemingly very happy with her introduction.

"Uh... okay..." I said rather awkwardly.

"You're supposed to introduce yourself in return. Jeez, who taught you manners? A tree stump?" She said, sweat dropping.

I chuckled at her, "Nope. Gramps tried to teach me, but I was stubborn little shit at the time." She gave me another look. One I took to mean "I'm waiting, asshole" and so I pushed out a deep sigh and began to introduce myself while generally following her template, "My name is Laxus Dreyar and I'm the Lightning Dragon Slayer. I was a member of Fairy Tail since I was young, but got exiled for a short period of time, at least on my time table, until after the recovery of the Tenroe Team when Fourth Master Gildarts Clive reinstated me and I was again apart of Fairy Tail until it's disbandment. I'm now a member of the Blue Pegasus Guild, though I try my damnest to stay away on missions because they're all a bit too high scale for my tastes but the rest of my team enjoys them. Or at least so they tell me." I finished, still looking a little off to the side. Staring at her wasn't really an option right now, even though I wished it was, so I had to force my gaze elsewhere.

Suddenly Lucy was almost pressed against me, her fists near her face and her eyes wide looking worried. I nearly grabbed her waist but had to hold my traitorous hands back, so they were hovering just around her shoulders, "You don't want to be friends with me?!" She almost yelled worriedly. I felt my expression shift from surprise to embarrassment as the blush crept steadily up my neck and onto my face.

"Friends isn't quite strong enough a word..." I mumbled under my breath. Then realizing what I said, I hoped desperately that she hadn't heard me. I cleared my throat and looked down at her and said, "of course I want to be friends. We're still nakama after all."

She squealed and jumped up to wrap her arms around my neck tightly and I could feel the length of her body pressed tightly against mine, "You don't know how much those words mean to me Laxus..." she whispered into my ear. I wrapped my arms around her tiny waist and pulled her tighter, taking in her scent of strawberries and vanilla wafers. Finally letting her slide down to the ground, I saw a small smirk play across her pink lips, "All of them" she muttered, knowing damn well I had heard her. I felt my heart speed up and panic run across my features. She just giggled and called out to me as she ran back up to her apartment, "I'm gonna pack my bag! Your welcome to come in if you want!"

Like there was any way in hell that I was going to turn down that offer.


	2. The People We Were

_**Thank you all once again for your reviews. I cannot tell you guys how much I love you for that. I'm going to school for journalism so please don't be too surprised if you see my writing style evolve throughout the story. I am so excited for this story and everything I can do with it. I'm also going to post some one shots very shortly and a two shot. I'm very excited about everything and I hope you guys are too! So please enjoy the second installment to Stronger Than You Think!**_

 _Third person POV_

The two blondes made their way up to Lucy's apartment, Lucy bouncing excitedly, feeling that electric joy that she always experienced at the prospect of adventure.

Laxus, however, was beginning to realize he'd failed in his own personal mission to get her to turn him down. He couldn't help but feel a war between being frustrated at his own ineptitude and this light, soaring feeling of euphoria; the origins of which was bounding through her apartment complex with a shit eating grin plastered to her face.

As Lucy was packing her bag, Laxus wandered around the inside of her apartment, inspecting the various nick knacks scattered throughout the house. However, there was one thing that caught his eye, as he began to walk towards the room currently occupied by the Celestial Spirit Mage: her bedroom. As quiet as a mouse, the Dragon Slayer peered down at her... map, of sorts. He quickly found himself and the Thunder Legion, with an article about their most recent completed job (one in which Laxus had defeated the demon practically by himself as Freed and Bixlow argued and Evergreen tried to help but honestly just kind of ended up in the way) and a white Blue Pegasus stamp overtop their picture. He then found Levy, Gajeel, and Pantherlily with an interview of the three who now worked for the counsel. There were plenty of others too, of Erza, Cana, Gray and Juvia, and even of Wendy and Mira. The thing that irked the elder mage more than anything, however, was that there was basically an entire corner dedicated to the cripplingly idiotic Fire Dragon Slayer, also known as Lucy Heartfillia's best friend, and some might assume, future lover.

Finally, Lucy turned around to see the quiet Dragon Slayer staring at her tracking board. She was about to start yelling that he had intruded when she noticed his expression had changed greatly from the neutral one he'd had painted on just a few short minutes ago. Finally deciding to approach him, she began to notice more details about his expression that made her want to let out a small giggle.

The Dragon Slayer's lips were turned down in a deep scowl, his eyebrows pinched together in irritation, his eyes narrowed to slits as she noticed him studying all the leads she's gotten on Natsu. She had been tracking his movements since she had moved to Crocus. He was her best friend, the one who had been there for her and helped her through thick and thin. Just as she had been there and helped him. Although she was forced to admit how it may look. Especially to the elder Dragon Slayer who currently looked as if he wanted to tear her board to shreds.

 _Laxus POV_

I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm sitting here, staring at these stupid fucking leads, and convincing myself that the girl I want loves another man. That that moment downstairs meant nothing and I just wanted it to mean something. 'Holy shit, I'm screwed' I thought to myself. I glanced once again at what I dubbed "Natsu's Corner", glaring with pure hatred, before turning, only to find a blonde on the verge of giggles staring up at me with her big, deep brown orbs.

"You know," Lucy began, "I never have felt any kind of romantic feelings toward him. One time I thought that he felt that way towards me, but I honestly think that he's just too dense. He was, however, the first person I had ever called family outside of my father and mother. One of the reasons I want to find him so bad is so that I can Lucy Kick him into last year for leaving the way he did. So many people left that day..."

She looked like she was about to cry and I was both panicking because I had no clue how to deal with a crying woman, especially this woman, and I was pissed because I wanted to beat the person who put those tears in her eyes. Suddenly, something occurred to me that I hadn't noticed before. I couldn't even believe that I hadn't noticed when she said it and it blew my mind that I could be so stupid, "Hey Blondie, earlier you said you had nine of the Zodiac Keys, but if I remember correctly, you had ten before the Tartaros incident. What happened?"

She looked up at me with tears shining in her eyes. She looked so positively heartbroken, yet she smiled somehow as she said, "When everyone else was caught in that sleep spell or whatever that Mard Geer did, I was the only one left. I was forced to fight them all, completely alone. I summoned three of my most powerful spirits, Loke, Virgo... and Aquarius. Aquarius recognized how the situation was going to go, and she told me to summon the Celestial Spirit King. I asked her how and she said that I could summon him with a golden key, but when I did so, the key would break and I'd be unable to summon the Spirit anymore. I told her there was no way that I could ever do that. Sacrifice one of my friends? There was no way in hell. But she insisted. She said that the bond between spirit and master would have to be strong, their trust absolute and deep. She offered her own key. My friend, who was my very first friend. The First key ever given to me by my mother, the last tie I had to hold onto. She and I had been together since I was a child. She had been one of my mothers spirits, to include Capricorn. Finally, she convinced me to do it. Loke and Virgo weren't holding up well and I still had to save all of you. So I summoned the Celestial Spirit King. Her key broke, but not before she gifted me with my first Star Dress. Using her Star Dress, I was able to defeat the other Demons while the Celestial Spirit King fought Mard Geer and released you guys from your slumber. I haven't been able to summon Aquarius since then. And I feel like a piece of myself is missing."

I listened carefully. Somehow during her explanation we ended up on her bed with my arm wrapped around her, holding her gently against me for comfort. I felt my chest stir with empathy. She had lost family and none of has had known... how could we have not known? She had stuck herself in the ground and grew to be so much more gentle and somehow stronger despite losing everything because of Zeref and his demons. It was this strength that I had always admired. As well as her ability to hold conversation and challenge anyone she came across. Not in the same way Natsu did, but mentally. I had seen her come up with some of the most brilliant battle strategies as well as connect two seemingly unrelated things by information I could almost swear she'd pulled out of her ass. Hell, I was half convinced that she was the only person that I'd allow to see the side of me she was seeing now and as that thought occurred to me it only made me realize just how special she was.

"Hey, I know right now it hurts like hell. And Fairy Tail disbanding probably didn't help. But I just want you to know how incredibly strong you are. You and I don't know each other that well, but trust me when I tell you that I admire you. Also, the next time I see Natsu, I'm gonna blow him into oblivion. He was wrong to do that to you and you must have the patience of a saint to be able to forgive him like that."

She looked up at me and grinned, her smile spreading warmth through my veins, "I don't think that he meant any harm by it, honestly. I am still highly upset with him, yes, but I love him as a brother and I don't think that I could hold an actual grudge against him... Despite how often the dense idiot used to sneak into my room and get in bed with me."

I felt my irritation level rise even further at the flame brained idiot. Who the hell does he think he is getting in bed with Lucy? I hear a growl reverberate through my chest and I felt the woman next to me shiver almost in answer, "Why the hell does that idiot come and sleep in your bed? I used to always hear you yelling at him for it. Does he just not understand how to take a hint?"

"I want you to repeat that sentence, and do it very slowly, while also forming a nice little picture in your mind of who exactly you're talking about." She deadpanned.

"Thank you for your informative point of view. I'll make sure to take it under great personal consideration when I bash that little shits head in." I teased her.

She laughed at me, stood up, and started walking away. I remained seated and when she realized this, she tossed her head back, with her golden halo of hair falling over her shoulder, and she smiled at me gently, "Are we leaving or am I gonna have to go find our friends for you?"

I grinned and got up, following her out to the little square courtyard in front of her apartment. She let her landlady know on the way about the situation, with me to confirm the story, and show my new guild mark. I noticed Blondie look a little too hard at my muscles and felt a surge of pride at her attentions. She blushed and continued on our original path. Once we were finally outside I decided to give her the low down.

 _Lucy POV_

Finally stepping outside with all of my bags packed, I looked over just as Laxus was about to say something, "So, Blondie, you wanna know what exactly you're helping with?" He said.

"Well of course. But first things first, Open, Gate of the Maiden: Virgo!" With a poof of smoke, there stood my faithful friend and spirit, Virgo.

"Punishment time Princess?" She said, her usual expression on, and chains jangling from her wrists.

I sweatdropped at her odd obsession with punishment and continued with why I called her out, "No, Virgo. But I would like if you could store my luggage in the Celestial World for me? I'd be very thankful." I said, smiling at the spirit.

"Of course, Princess. Is there anything else I could help you with?"

"No, Virgo. Thank you, and you may go now. I'll call you back out if I need you." She simply nodded her head and there was another poof as she left once again for her own world.

"Ready now?" I heard an impatient Laxus ask me.

"Yup!" I said, grinning up at him, amused by his agitation. He looked down at me, a little surprised looking and I saw a small blush adorn his cheeks.

"Alright, well the beast we're up against seems pretty innocent and easy enough to deal with at first, mostly because it's small. Like, the size of an Irish Wolf Hound, I'd say. It's this odd color of midnight blue though, and has very small spots of silver and gold throughout its fur, that can harden and elongate into metallic spikes. When we couldn't defeat it the first week, Freed did a little research, but the only thing we could come up with on it was that it held origins in Celestial Magic, or more specifically, it's from the Celestial World. But here's the thing: it doesn't have a key from what we gathered. So we decided that we needed a Celestial Mage, such as yourself, to help us defeat it."

I gaped at him. If this is what I thought, we needed to move, and move fast. There was no telling how much danger the towns people and his team were in. From what he'd told me, the beast hadn't even used it's true manic yet and it was handing some of the strongest mages in Fiore their asses, "Take me there. Now."

Laxus' eyes widened at my tone, and he swiftly took hold of me and used his lightning body to rush us away. As soon as we landed, however, he started coughing hard enough that I was convinced he would hack up a lung.

"Laxus."

He looked up at me after his coughing settled some and his breathing was still a little rough.

"As soon as we're done here, you're telling me exactly what's wrong with you." I said with finality.

 **So... I was just re-reading the part where Laxus takes out Flare for Lucy's sake, and I got a bit of a head canon going on, where I think that Laxus actually does like like Lucy but won't ever admit it to her because most people expect her to end up with Natsu. Or maybe someone won't let him? Anyways, those are just some late night thoughts I figured to share**


	3. Life's Legends

_Lucy POV_

Laxus was looking at me with a mixture of shame and apprehension. If we had more time then I might have sat him down and asked him further, but I suppose I'll have to wait until after I deal with the creature. I took in the scene around me. Sure enough, I could see the Thunder Legion off to my right, duking it out with what appeared to be a large dog. This must be the "beast" that Laxus had been speaking of.

The creature was, true to Laxus's word, approximately the size of an Irish Wolfhound and had a deep blue color. It had the head and the front half of the body of a fox, the back half looking more feline, including the tail of a cat with giant spikes spread out. It was using its tail to whip back and forth, sending needles to and fro, piercing whatever they came in contact with. Looking into its eyes, I noticed that their color was off. They should have been silver, but they were red, and darting around frantically, as if it were an animal pushed into a corner. I also had barely enough time to notice that the thick fur on its front half was standing on end, pointing out like needles ready to be sent out at any minute.

Slowly I pulled Laxus's arms from around me, not having time to wonder why they were still there in the first place. I made my way towards the poor thing, making sure to make my presence known by releasing some of my magic at the same time. The beast whipped its head around to look at me, the red in its eyes dimming down ever so slightly, taking comfort in the familiar feel of my magic.

"Miss Lucy! Thank the gods you're here, but what do you think you're doing?!" Freed yelled at me, taking advantage of the momentary distraction. Unfortunately the creature decided to take offense to something and whipped its tail towards Freed and the others.

"Star Dress: Aries! Wool Wall!"

I felt the magic run through my veins as the pink wool was send out in a protective wall to shield the Thunder Legion from the creatures attack. The wool managed to stop the needles just in the nick of time as the points were a mere few inches away from their faces.

"Freed, Ever, Bixslow, I'm going to need you three to back away from him. I know exactly how to handle this but I need you three out of harms way. He won't harm me, but there's something I need to do." I kept my voice level and calm, speaking slowly and rhythmically so to put the beast at ease. As the three mages looked between myself and the beast with caution riddling their gaze, they slowly followed my orders. I then heard a low growl from behind me. I glared at the source of said growl and said, "I need you to trust me. Please?"

I could see Laxus's shoulders slump, defeated. I turned slowly back to the beast and I noticed his hackles were dropping, though it was obvious he still held reservations.

Finally turning back to the beast, I studied it a little closer. The red tinge in its eyes was waning, but there was a great deal of caution still kept there. It's fur was gorgeous and looked so soft, I just wanted to run my fingers through it. I dropped my star Dress before taking a few more excruciatingly slow steps forward, maintaining posture and my trickle of magic that I had been releasing.

I reached for my whip that was secured to my belt and I saw the creatures lips pull upwards in a silent snarl of warning.

"It's okay. I'm just going to set this on the ground. I'm not trying to hurt you, I promise." And with my words I sent the creature a gentle smile to help soothe it.

His eyes carefully examined me as I gently set my whip on the ground and resumed my trek towards him. Well, for all I know it could be a her, but it really just strikes me as male.

I was a couple yards away when I stopped and sat down on the ground, looking him in the eye as if trying to convey a silent link of calm and peacefulness. I wanted him to trust me. Especially if what I thought was going on was the reality.

"What the Hell do you think you're doing Blondie?" I heard Laxus's growl from somewhere behind me. He wasn't daring to come closer than where I left him and the others, but just knowing he was there helped resolve my nerves. His presence also somehow managed to set off a strange contradictory feeling of both heat and coolness, working me up and setting me at ease all in the same moment. It was almost as if his simple being was a big "fuck you" to convention.

"Laxus, please calm down and be quiet. I know exactly what I am doing and I need you to trust me." And though I was technically speaking to Laxus, I looked the creature straight in the eyes as I spoke the last part. Seeming a bit miffed, I heard Laxus's tch from here, but also saw almost exactly the same reaction in the creature before me, and so, I really just couldn't help myself.

I giggled.

I watched as the creatures head whip around to look me in the eyes once more, "So..." I began as my giggles died down, "Are you going to tell me why you seem so upset Mr. Manticore?"

 _Laxus POV_

"So... Are you going to tell me why you seem so upset Mr. Manticore?" I heard her say. I sat there completely flabbergasted. This thing had wrought all kinds of destruction and injured so many people all for her to sit down and have a fucking conversation with it? What the Hell?

"Did... Did she just say manticore?" I heard Freed whisper-shout at me. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms in front of my chest, adopting the same bored expression I usually wore.

"Yeah. What's the issue? You know something about this thing?" I glanced at Freed. If anybody other than Lucy were to know something about this thing then it would be Freed. I have no fucking clue as to why he would wait until now to spit out whatever information he had in it though. Maybe Mira is rubbing off on him too much and he's trying to play some kind of matchmaker game. ' _Ugh. That's the last thing I need._ '

"I've read about it but this small creature looks nothing like the drawings in the book that I read." Freed sounded a bit worried.

"Well I suppose that would explain why you couldn't figure out what the Hell it was." I looked back towards Lucy. The manticore, as Freed and Lucy had referred to it, had moved closer to Lucy, and was laying down in front of her with its head resting on its paws.

"A manticore, despite the ancient myths, is a creature bound to serve celestial mages. Defend them, accompany them, whatever the mage may need. They originate from the Celestial World, yet they cannot return, nor do they need a key to be summoned to the Celestial Mages side. They are lifelong companions, and much like their brethren from the spirit world, are virtually immortal."

As I listened to Freed drone on about the manticore I wondered about why the hell it had gone crazy and destroyed everything. I decided to ask this and when I did Freed gave me an odd look.

"I honestly don't know." Was his reply.

"I can answer that." I heard Blondies voice ring out behind me, and turned to look at her. The manticore was by her side, the beast much more relaxed and calm now that Lucy was here.

"Okay miss knows-it-all. Please explain because I really am rather confused." I finally said, breaking the temporary silence that had overcome the small group.

"His previous master was one of those that had been killed when they were trying to unseal the Infinity Clock. He had sat here at the entrance to the town where his master had left him, telling him he would be back and to defend the town until his return. He waited and waited, yet finally a day came when one of the villagers had decided to deliver the news of the masters untimely demise. After that... well, you see, manticore require masters, otherwise they go insane. He had been so long without his master that the only thread to his sanity that remained was his hope that his master would one day return."

She looked sadly down at the creature, whose ears and tail had dropped and was staring at the ground woefully. I felt for him. I remember waiting for my own father to come home and he never did. He was batshit crazy, and I knew that now. He had also been abusive and a complete and utter failure as a father, but as a child I hadn't understood that.

I kneeled down to look at the manticore, "Hey, just so you know, I know exactly how you feel. A few years back, I went a little crazy and hurt my nakama too. But you know what? That experience is what helped me learn how to appreciate and love my nakama even more deeply than I ever had before. Your trials and errors help build you and make you into who you are meant to be. Now, the biggest key is helping those who you hurt recover and get better themselves."

The manticore looked at me with a new hope. I felt the need to squirm around and hide, though I would never admit to it. To this day, having someone look up to me or look to me for leadership made me uncomfortable, but now I simply accept that there's nothing I can do and do my best to not lead them the wrong way.

"Thank you... Laxus." I looked back up to Blondie and noticed her eyes were slightly watered, and she was holding her hands over her heart. I sent a gentle smile her way and I heart her heart flutter a little. I could feel my own cheeks gain a slight blush.

"I didn't say anything that wasn't already true, Blondie." I say as I stand up.

"That doesn't change the fact that what you said was sweet, Laxus. You really are a pretty good leader." She grinned down, bending over slightly to try and meet me at my level. My eyes widened a bit and then I finally looked off to the side, only watching her out of the corner of my eyes.

"Ain't a damn thing about me that's sweet, Blondie." Suddenly I got a bright idea in my head to tease her a bit, so I continued, "but I be heard I'm kinda salty..." I finished with a sly smirk.

I watched as Blondie turned a violent shade of red as she realized the dual meaning of the joke. Although, I'll give her props because the next thing I knew she had screamed "LUCY KICK!" And I was flying through the air.

Once I landed and got my breath back, (god damn she's got a helluva kick. I can only imagine what those thighs could do...) I looked up at her in shock, "Oi! Blondie I didn't know you were that strong! And what the Hell was that for anyways?" I said rather gruffly, still feeling my stomach doing somersaults from the impact of her foot and shin.

"Why'd you have to go and say some dumb shit like that?! You ruined a perfectly amazing moment!" She yelled back.

I heard a gasp from the other three, as well as exclamations of "I didn't even know she knew any curse words!", "Did Ms. Lucy really just say that?" And of course, "Damn! I didn't think Cosplayer had it in her!" Apparently she was usually more conservative language wise.

I looked at her weirdly for a moment before throwing my head back and letting out a booming laugh, which surprised my teammates even more than her cursing had.

 _Thump._ The other three had fallen to the floor, their ghosts coming out of their bodies. Not that I cared. I was too busy laughing.

When I finally collected myself once more I noticed Blondie looking at me with a look of awe and wonder on her face. And maybe... something else...

Before I could get a proper look at what was lying behind her eyes she turned away from me and looked down at the furiest of our companions, ignoring the three who were finally recovering themselves, "So, Mr. Manticore... what should I name you...?"

 **Alright. That is the end of the third part. After this I have one more part that will be set in the post-Tartaros/pre-Alvarez Arc and then I'll do a bit of a time skip to do some short chapters on their battles. I'm gonna do that so that I can set up for a higher arc in my own story later on, so these short chapters that are gonna be coming up are really vital to my plans. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know you guys were probably wanting more action and battles, and trust me, you'll get just that, but my plans needed another character that Laxus and Lucy could both relate to and push them together so here we are. Please leave reviews and let me know what you guys thought! (And yes his sickness will be heavily discussed in the next chapter) thank you all for reading and stay tuned for more LaLu love!**


	4. Revealing Struggles

_Laxus POV_

Rahu*. That's what she named the damn thing. Apparently Rahu is some kind of Celestial night god from some religion or another. She likes significant names. I don't know why.

At the moment Lucy, the Thunder Legion, and I were cleaning up the town called Oakwood that Rahu had destroyed in his insanity induced rage. Lucy, naturally, was going about this rebuilding effort as if it was a normal and acceptable part of life, which knowing her former team, it probably was.

Team Natsu had an insufferable ability to cause absolute destruction and chaos wherever they went while simultaneously inspiring those around them to the point where no one could ever be truly upset with them for any real amount of time. I blamed that charm on our resident Celestial Mage. The woman had a million watt smile that could send sparks through my veins.

Lucy, he realized, was a monster in her own right. She may not be able to demolish a city with one blow, but she could rip her opponents apart from the inside out. She was clever, shrewd, and I was absolutely sure that she could defeat even me. I can still clearly remember the first time I felt her magical presence. It had completely floored me and I finally understood that she was a helluva lot more powerful that she had ever let on to her friends.

"Hey Laxus, why have you just been staring at a wall for the past 10 minutes?" I heard her sweet voice interrupt my train of thought. Looking down and smirking like how I knew drove women crazy, I decided that if she wanted my attention, I would damn well give it to her.

"Just wondering what it'd be like to taste you." I teased. I saw her cheeks flush with a light dusting of pink as she gazed up at me with wide eyes for a moment. After gaping like a fish out of water for a few moments she pulled her mouth shut and smiled at me, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

"Well," she began, her voice dipping low as if sharing a secret, "I suppose if you're a good boy and you actually help out, you wouldn't have to wonder any more."

And, having successfully beat me at my own damn game she sauntered away, hips swaying, probably knowing damn well and good that I was watching her like a hawk as she moved away from me. I was half tempted to run up to her and have my way on the first semi-private hard surface I could find. But for the moment, I was gaping. I honestly didn't think she'd have it in her to say or do something like that.

"Are you coming or not, Sparky?" She called back to me. I chuckled, knowing damn well and good that if anyone else in the world tried calling me that I'd electrocute their ass to within an inch of their life.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming, Blondie."

"YOU'RE BLONDE TOO!"

Lucy POV

I was standing in a small wooded area that used to house a small cabin. The cabin was in the process of being restored and so far we had a small skeleton of a structure up. We had been rebuilding for hours. It's been about 2 hours since our teasing session and I can already tell he's itching to bug the crap out of me. It's like I can sense it now. He likes to get on my last nerve and then when I finally blow a gasket he acts all innocent. I act like I mind, but it's honestly too cute. It's almost as if he can't go more than an hour without trolling me or he gets antsy.

"I swear that boy is almost as childish as Natsu." I muttered to myself, not quite meaning to voice my thoughts out loud.

"Hey, Blondie." As if on cue Laxus appears.

"Speak of the Devil and he shall appear." I replied dryly.

"Aw, don't be like that. After all, if anyone's devilish, it was you after that comment earlier." He said, winking at me. I was prone to falling for his charms and right now was no exception. ' _I am Lucy Heartfilia!_ ' I cannot just give in because a handsome man winks at me! So I decided to give as good as I got and give him hell right back.

"Yeah, but your not being a good boy, now are you? Have you ever tried holding water with an open hand? Because that's about as futile as your attempts right now." I deadpanned at him.

He pouted. My eyes widened. Laxus Dreyar, Lightning Dragon Slayer, famed wizard, and arguably more powerful than more than a few of the wizard saints... is pouting. I just couldn't help myself.

I giggled.

He turned back towards me, still sulking, but then a dark smirk crossed his lips and an evil glint entered his gaze as he raised his arms, fingers curling like mini claws. My eyes almost popped out of my head.

"Don't you dare!" I squeaked.

"Too late, Blondie. You wanna giggle all cute and shit at me? You're getting tickled." He growled and dove at me. I was fast, but not as fast as him. He managed to grab me by the waist and I quickly fell into a fit of giggles, jerking around and trying to escape the unrelenting feeling of his fingers wiggling and stimulating my sides.

We ended up on the ground, many minutes later; I finally got him to stop by rolling us over and grabbing his wrists, pining them to his chest as I leaned over him, panting.

"Dammit would you just stop Sparky?!" I say, looking down at him.

"With you looking like that, how could I deny you anything?" He replied. I finally realized what position we were in and I could feel my face going tomato red. I sat back and let go of his wrists so that I could place them on either of my cheeks to attempt to cover the blush scrawling across them.

"Hey, Blondie, there's no need to be like that. I promise it's cute." He said while sitting up. I felt his hands take my wrists and pull them away from my face. I watched him in stunned silence.

Laxus Dreyar was a lot of things. Crude, blunt, infinitely irritating, egotistical (at times, though, I was convinced it was a façade), and his entire existence equaled out to a big 'fuck you' to propriety; this side, however, was entirely new to Lucy. She could officially add gentle, sweet, and... cute to her long list of Laxus related adjectives.

"Laxus..." I was looking at him and I felt my heart flutter and speed up. I couldn't help the fascination and pure curiosity running rampant in my head. I also felt like something was squeezing my heart, and with every inch I could see being ate up as he closed the distance between us, the ache eased. I had no clue what that meant, but I wasn't about to fight it, and I knew after being partnered up with Natsu for so long that following my instincts and what my body was telling me was a crucial thing. But there was something we needed to discuss before I dive headfirst into something I never wanted to see an end to.

"Lucy..." he said, low in his throat so that it was more of a groan.

"Laxus. Before I do this with you... we need to have that discussion. Why were you having such a hard time breathing? And why were you coughing so hard when you used Lightning form to get us here?"

I felt, more than heard, Laxus growl and pull back slightly, yet keeping me perched on his lap, "Lucy, I know you're concerned but there's nothing you can do and I'm fine now. That's all that matters, right?"

"No, Laxus. Your health matters to me. Everything going on, I get that it's painful to talk about. But Aquarius was painful for me to talk about too. In fact, you're the only person I've worked up the courage to tell about her. And if you want _this_ ," I said motioning between him and me, "to happen... I need that same level of trust from your end too. If you're not ready, then I respect that, and you won't have to talk about it; however, that also means you aren't ready for an _us_ , so--"

"I'm not cured." He said, interrupting me.

"Wha-what? What do you mean 'not cured'?" I said, flabbergasted.

 _Laxus POV_

"I'm not cured." I said. If I had to talk about this stupid ass problem I have because of those Barrier Particles to prove to her that I'm serious and to keep her here, then I'd do it.

"Wha-what? What do you mean 'not cured'?" She sputtered. The look on her face was incredulous.

"I mean, the Barrier Particles are still in my system and when I use my magic, it gets almost unbearable. But I'm dealing with it as best I can. I'm trying to find a way to get rid of them, but so far I've come up with zilch. So that's what you saw when we got here. I _was_ struggling to breathe. I _was_ in pain. But I manage." I was looking at her the whole time. Waiting for her reaction. I waited for her to call me weak or stupid. I waited for her to tell me that I shouldn't be doing as much as I do, that I need rest and to stop using my magic so much. I heard all that and more on a daily basis from my team. They just never understood. How am I supposed to just sit around and not train or not take jobs? That would be taking away a whole part of who I am.

She had her face down so that her bangs covered her eyes and I could smell salt coming from her, "Laxus... you're so strong. You've kept going this entire time in so much pain... I'll help. However I can, I'll help. If you need me to research for you I will. If you need someone to lean on, I'm here. But if I know one thing about you, I know there's no way in hell you're going to stop moving forward. So just be careful." She lifted up her head and gave me a wobbly smile, "Please."

I was shocked. How did I manage to find her? And _why_ did she like me? I don't deserve her. She's so good and she just... understands. I don't have to ask. I don't have to explain. She just knows what I need.

I felt her hands cup my face and she pulled me in slowly. Realizing what she was doing, I closed the distance quickly, aching to feel her lips move against mine for the first time. After a few quick kisses, she deepened it, and I finally got to taste her. It was better than I could have ever wanted. I felt a deep rightness in my chest. As I wrapped my arms securely around her waist, I felt some primal part of my roar is satisfaction. Our tongues danced together until we ran out of breath. Pulling apart, I noticed how her eyes had darkened and took special notice of her labored breaths.

"Hey Blondie?"

"Yes Sparky?"

I grinned really big. It was the first time I've ever let myself smile like that in front of her.

"Be mine." I said. She went from smiling to a grin big enough to match mine.

"I don't know Sparky. I have a date planned for this Tuesday. It'd be a shame to have to cancel it..." She teased. I frowned then and let loose a low growl to reverberate in my chest.

"It's canceled. I was just being nice. You're my girl, and I don't share." I said. My words were stern sounding but I could tell she heard how hurt I really was by the idea of her being with another in any capacity.

She smiled gently and leaned town to give me a gentle kiss, which I readily accepted, "Calm down, Laxus. Of course we're together now. But... I do want to ask something of you..." She shifted lightly.

"Whatever you want, it's pretty much yours." I assured her with such conviction that she leaned back a little to get a better look at me.

"Well... I was hoping to be able to have it just be between us for a while. I've been hearing whispers of Natsu coming to Crocus soon during the games and I just know as soon as he finds out about the disbandment he's gonna do his best to get everyone together again. And with that, I don't want our friends sticking their noses in our business. I love them, but I'm now accustomed to a certain level of privacy and I want to retain that privacy. And I know you're not that big on publi-"

I cut her off with another kiss and I could feel myself smile against her lips, "Thank god you brought that up. I agree. Wholeheartedly. We can definitely keep this on the down low for a while. I have a feeling life is gonna get really interesting really quickly soon, and I don't want anyone to be in our business either. Once the Guild is back together and everything has settled down for a while, we can tell them then, okay?" She nodded her head eagerly and gave me a chaste kiss before standing up and holding her hand out for me to take. I pulled her back against my chest and wrapped my arms around her waist once more. I just held the girl who was holding my heart like that for a while and she let me. It was comforting in a way I hadn't experienced for a very long time. I didn't want to move when suddenly I heard a rustling from some shrubbery to my left and whipped my head around to face the new threat. Then Rahu's head popped out and stared between Lucy and I.

Lucy just laughed and said, "Come on over Rahu!" And the manticore came trotting over.

"How ya doin' little guy?" I asked Rahu with a small smirk while ruffling the fur on his head. He let his tongue roll out, happily panting away.

"He says he's doing really well. He's very glad that you and I are together." Lucy translated with a wide grin.

"Your telling me." I replied. The moment was perfect. Lucy in my arms and Rahu panting away happily under our combined attentions.

After a little while longer of sitting in the clearing with Lucy and Rahu, we all emerged to find the Thunder Legion. The three mages were in the middle of a squabble about some nonsense or another when Lucy walked over to them. She calmed them down and got them to stop arguing, helping them all come to some sort of compromise. I couldn't help the small smile on my face as I watched her handle my team with ease and tact. I glanced down for a moment to look at Rahu and found him watching me watch his master. He let out a small whine and cocked his head while shoving his ears forward.

"What? What's that look for, huh?" After I asked the question he swung his head back to look at Lucy and then looked back towards me.

"Yeah, I know. But we're in public now and we decided to not really tell anyone for now." I watched as this little fucking fox-cat thing _rolled its damn eyes at me_.

I was about to growl when Lucy and my team called for me. I went to them quickly, and they started taking about blue prints and whatnot. I was thoroughly bored out of my damn mind, but couldn't help the smile that crept across my face as I recalled the kiss.

After fixing the town we'll be forced to separate again, but I plan on visiting as much as possible. My instincts were screaming at me to protect her and stay with her no matter what, but Lucy was right: we needed to let this grow and develop in a healthy way. That's why we were keeping it to ourselves for now. I glanced over at said Celestial Mage and she looked back at me.

We shared a secret smile and I knew that everything would be okay. Because as long as I have her, nothing would ever be unbearable.

 ***Rahu is a Hindu Celestial Deity of the night and the eclipse. Hey guys! Thank you for reading my fourth installment! I hope you guys enjoyed. My next chapter is going to be about Fairytail coming together again before the battle, just FYI. Please read and review, or if you have any suggestions please feel free to PM me or leave a review! Have a good day ladies and gents!**


	5. Gentle Smiles on the Way Back Home

_Third person POV_

Lucy Heartfilia was excited. Just as the rumors had suggested, Natsu had shown up to the GMG and now they were off to revive Fairytail. Unfortunately, just before Natsus arrival, she had sent Rahu out with a letter for Laxus. They were still dating and so she sent him letters weekly. Rahu was always happy to go and see Laxus anyways; it wasn't much of a surprise seeing as how he loved Laxus and the Thunder Legion. Lucy often worried for her boyfriend. He was still struggling with the Barrier Particles and through their combined research, Freed had taught Laxus, at Laxus's insistence, how to perform a Hutus-shiki. Lucy hadn't realized why Laxus had been so persistent in learning Freed's technique, however he had told her that it wasn't important at the moment.

Laxus liked to visit Lucy as often as possible. He was finding that while his team could offer him a respite form the chaos of life, Lucy was the only one who could give him _peace_. After so long of just wishing he could be with her, he had her in his arms after almost every mission and in his heart always.

The first time she had told him she loved him, they were sleeping in her bed, fully clothed. Neither had brushed their teeth, or even moved, and Rahu lay on the floor beside them with his feet up in the air and tongue rolling out. He had wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight, and as she let out a little sigh of contentment, the words had slipped out seamlessly into the cool morning air. Laxus had felt his breath hitch as he pulled her tighter. Lucy had begun to worry it was too soon when Laxus took her mouth in the most gentle of ways, and said the words back to her in a _whoosh_ of breath, as if he were savoring the taste of them on his tongue.

Lucy smiled at the memory. Little did she know, she was being watched. Wendy Marvel, who considered the Celestial Mage an older sister, was said sister very closely.

Wendy had, on many occasion, seen as well as received, Lucy's kind-hearted smiles and warmth. However, she took note, this look was different. This wasn't just a kind, warm smile. This was happiness on a different level. A kind of joy that Wendy had never bore witness to gracing who she called her elder sisters face. She couldn't quite put a finger on _what_ was different, only that _something_ was different. And so, deciding it better to simply ask, Wendy did exactly that.

 _Wendy POV_

I couldn't help but ask her. I was so happy that she was smiling like that. She had been so sad and heartbroken when I last saw her, though over what, I've no clue, that I had only been able to hope to see her smile again.

"Hey Lucy?" I asked to get her attention from the rolling hills.

"Yes Wendy?" She swung her big amber orbs, not too unlike my own, towards me with a questioning gaze.

"What are you thinking about? You have this really warm smile and you just look so... happy!" I said, with a small grin on my face.

"O-oh. It's nothing, Wendy. I can't really say right now. It's kind of a secret." She said with her finger to her lips in a "keep quiet" motion.

"Oh. Well I can keep secrets. That's what sister do afterall!" I replied, not able to catch my "sisters" slip before Lucy took notice.

"Wendy... you think of me as your...? Oh! I just love you!" Lucy said as she pulled me into a tight hug, "Okay, Wendy. Since we're sisters, I'll tell you. But not here. It'll have to wait til later. Okay?"

I nodded vigorously, extremely happy that she both accepted me as a sister as well as that she trusted me enough with her secrets.

Lucy returned her gaze to the world around us, and I was happy to do the same. But as I gaze around, I can't help but wonder what the world is going to throw at us next. Afterall, it's not Fairytail without a throw down.

 **Helloooooo ladies and gents! This is the first of my short chapters before I dig into the meat of my story. But hey, want some good news? Shorter chapters means faster updates! I was going to do this in all Lucy POV but decided to put a twist and start with third person then move to a character who's got no idea about what happened in chapters previous. It was a toss between Natsu and Wendy, and I went with Wendy because of the slightly more intriguing dynamic between the two mages where Wendy might be considered more magically gifted, but she still looks up to Lucy as an older sibling. This will play a little deeper later on, so don't think all of this is for naught! Thank you for reading my story and please leave reviews. I absolutely love seeing what you guys think of my writing, even the constructive criticism is very much welcome! With that, I bid you good morning, good afternoon, and goodnight!**


	6. Fighting the Odds

A while before the battle, Laxus had made some kind of excuse about being hungry, or maybe finding food. He couldn't remember and he didn't care either. He was having a hard time breathing, the Barrier Particles wreaking havoc on his system. When Gray showed up and started questioning him, he had been thoroughly annoyed. Normally the only person he let near him during one of his "fits" (as he likes to call them) was Lucy. In fact, he preferred her there. She gave him comfort and peace during those terrible moments.

Now, however, he was in the middle of one of possibly the most important battles of his life, only to have the longest battle of his life interrupt, demanding his attention, trying to ruin his chances of winning. It's been a whole year yet his failure still haunts him. He had to get up. For the guild. For everything he has fought and worked so hard to regain and protect. For her. He was damned determined that he would win.

Suddenly, Laxus'remembered one of the things Freed and Blondie had talked about while discussing his illness and how to cure it. Laxus had insisted on learning Freeds jutsu-shiki after listening in on them. He didn't think either of them had realized that he had overheard them discussing how strong Freed's jutsu-shiki is and how powerful a make would have to be to dispel it. It was that moment that the solution had clicked in his head. He hadn't told Freed or Blondie _why_ he wanted to learn how to use the jutsu-shiki so bad, only that he did.

Looking up at Wall Eehto, Laxus couldn't help but notice that their battle had messed up Wall in more than a few ways. This would be his only chance, it was the only cure he could think of. He got up just enough to activate the Jutsu-shiki. It was much smaller than Freed's, but still powerful. Wall simply laughed and mentioned how he had dispelled Freed's jutsu-shiki. That's what I was counting on. As I felt the Jutsu-shiki fall and my illness fall with it, I thought back to some words the first master had had with me. She had told me about my great-grandfather, whom she had known. She said that I reminded her of him in a lot of ways, even after I said that he sounds nothing like me. She had told me about a lightning technique that had been unique to him. Red lightning.

It seemed fitting, somehow, that I should end this battle with a move created by one of those who brought Fairy Tails beginning.

Once Wall was down, the only thing I could think about, worry about, was the girl who had somehow managed to get me to feel again. To love again, but more specifically, to love _her_.

I was exhausted. But there was still work to do, and all I could do was hope that Blondie was doing okay.

 **Okay guys I am super super sorry that seemed to take so long to put out. To be honest I'm not really caring for these small chapter through the Alvarez arc, but we all have to bear through this. I've had a lot of things going on between balancing work and schooling as well as virtually teaching myself a whole new subject. I am so so glad for your patience and understanding and I promise that by next Saturday I will have the next mini chapter out for you. There are only two or three more of these, seeing as I'm only doing these for the super significant moments for both Laxus and Lucy. If you have any questions at all, feel free to shoot it in the reviews or PM me and I'll start doing a little QA section at the end of each story if you guys show enough support for that. Again, thank you for your patience and have an amazing week!! Until I post again! (I hope that doesn't come across too arrogant heh heh..)**


	7. Awkward Moments

_Third Person POV_

Lucy, as of this moment, was very certain that Porlyusica had lost her damn mind. The woman wanted her to lay down next to Natsu... _naked._ While she could recognize that this was an important step when dealing with hypothermia, which Natsu somehow seemed to be suffering from even though I knew it was something wrong with his magic, I could also recognize how very _dead_ both Natsu and myself would be if Laxus ever found out. It's not that she thought he would think she was cheating, but it was the principle of her being naked with another man in the room. Especially when she had yet to be in the same _room_ with Laxus naked, much less the same _bed_.

Finally caving in and undressing, Lucy laid next to Natsu, completely bare except for her wearing underwear, wrapped her arms around his neck, and tried not to suffocate on the awkwardness.

She honestly found it completely strange that everyone always thought she would end up with Natsu. They couldn't be more wrong.

Finally taking a real look at Natsu, she couldn't help the tightening in her chest where she worried for him. He was such a dense sweetheart and she just didn't know how to reconcile the possibility of him dying with the boy she had come to think of as family.

Just as she was thinking these thoughts, Natsu sat up just as quickly as if he had never passed out. She could feel the heat begin to radiate off his body once more as she rolled a little to the side.

Suddently a feeling of immense relief rolled through her entire being. Her best friend was okay. The Fire Dragon Slayer would live,

"Natsu!" Lucy and Happy called out together.

"You dummy! How much are you gonna make people worry?!"

 **One or two more super short chapter you guys. Sorry for taking so long for such a short chapter, ive been preoccupied trying to get What Could Have Been on its feet and working on the story line for this one. I hope all has been well for everyone! Ill have another chapter for STYT out by the end of the week! Promise!**


	8. Sunset

The war was over. Zeref was defeated, and the Spriggan 12 were finally defeated. All over Magnolia, there were wounded mages and some had even passed out from physical and magical exhaustion. It was not a very pretty sight, but Laxus wasn't worrying about that at the moment. He had lived the last year of his life walking the knife's edge between living and dying and while he was exhausted, he had known worse. At the moment his first concern was his Lucy. He hadn't seen her since before the war had begun and he needed to find her. He had already searched all the streets of Magnolia, including where her apartment used to be. That sight had sent him into a near panic in his search.

Finally, Laxus came across a very faint scent trail on the edge of town. It was that intoxicating scent of strawberries and vanilla wafers that he was so addicted to, all because of the person it came from. As he followed the trail, the scent was growing stronger with each quickly paced stride he took. Finally he came across the person which had been his goal to find.

She was lying in a bright green patch of grass with her eyes closed. Bruises and cuts were littered across her body, a small amount of blood on her cheek as if smeared there as war paint colored her face, and her usual high ponytail was gone, and her hair lay spread out underneath her. He could feel the panic in his chest heighten as he looked at her. It was obvious she had been through quite a bit, just as he had, but the fact that she was just lying there, unmoving, was completely unnerving to him. He took a few steps forward, then dropped to her side in the grass. Before he could reach out, however, her hand moved to his thigh as she slowly opened her eyes up.

"It's over, Sparky. It's finally over…" She smiled and looked up at him. He looked her over one more time before he finally stretched out his body to lay next to her. He pulled her gently into his chest and laid his forehead against hers, breathing in her scent and listening to the throng of her sturdy heartbeat. He had never before felt so thankful that another person was alive in his life.

Lucy closed her eyes once again at the feel of Laxus pressed tightly against her. All she wanted to do was snuggle deep into his embrace and forget all the pain. Although she knew that that could not be a permanent solution, she chose to ignore that logical voice in her brain that told her to get up and work through the debris to figure everything out. She could feel his heartbeat underneath her hand and she could swear that nothing had ever felt better than that single moment. She moved her hand up his chest and neck to cup his cheek as she leaned forward and tasted his lips in a chaste kiss.

"I'm so glad you're safe, Blondie. I also have some good news." Lucy looked up at him, her honey eyes meeting his storm gray ones.

"I could really use some of that right now. What's the good news?"

"I'm cured. When I went up against Wall, I used the Jutsu-shiki that Freed taught me. When he cancelled it out, he also cancelled out the Barrier Particles without realizing it."

Lucy gasped, before reaching up and pulling Laxus down and into her chest, her cheek resting on the crown of his head. He could feel her tears as they fell down onto his head.

"Ugh… Babe? You're kind of suffocating—"

"Shut up, Laxus. Just… let me hold you. Please. I was so scared. So worried. Master sent you and the others away and I wanted to follow so badly but I couldn't. I'm just so glad you're safe and that you're in my arms…"

Laxus was slightly shocked by her words. He knew that he had felt that way but he'd had no clue she would. Thinking on it, he was almost amused. People had always thought him stoic and unmovable. A force of nature not to be reckoned with. And he knew what everyone thought of Lucy too: friendly, kind, always so sociable and open to everybody. Most people might think of them as polar opposites, the only trait they shared was their blonde hair. But as he had discovered, they actually shared quite a bit with each other. Despite what people always thought, Lucy was actually a very private person, and enjoyed her solitude most of the time. She was powerful and independent. Strong, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. She had suffered hardships very few knew about, despite the fact that her dirty laundry seemed to have been aired out in front of everybody when she had first arrived at the guild. Laxus had actually been very surprised by Lucy's affinity for solitude and privacy, as she had been surprised by just how… _not quiet_ Laxus actually was. She would sometimes wonder just how everybody thought that he was so broody when in all truthfulness, he really just had a severe case of resting bitch face.

Lucy finally released Laxus after a few minutes. He made an overdramatic show of taking a huge breath as Lucy rolled her eyes and smacked his arm. The quiet pair looked to each other and gave the other small smiles before turning their faces to look at the now setting sun.

"Wow. I hadn't realized we have been out here that long…" Lucy whispered. The statement might have gone unnoticed had it not been for Laxus's hearing.

"You mean how long _you_ have been out here. I only joined you less than an hour ago."

"Oh. Well I do suppose that is true. How did you find me anyways?"

"I was looking for you. Everyone was worried about you. I barely managed to catch your scent on the edge of town and I followed it. I doubt any of the other slayers would be able to catch it unless they got near this spot now. Well, maybe Natsu would. Kids a little monster."

Lucy chuckled at the description. She couldn't help it, "Says the monster who defeated a wizard saint."

Laxus looked down to his girlfriend and smirked when he saw the mirth dancing in her gaze, "Hmm… I suppose that is true. I forget about that sometimes. It seems like it was so long ago. It's almost like that entire week was just a piece of my imagination some days because of everything that followed."

"I can understand that. I feel the same way sometimes. So I have a question." Lucy was back to staring at the final descent of the orange sun. She had always loved how the sky turned brilliant shades of orange, red, and pink during these final moments of daytime.

"And hopefully, I'll have an answer."

"How are we going to tell the guild that we've been together for nearly eight months? You know that they're all going to lose their minds."

Before Laxus could answer, there was a rustling in the bushes to the left of the couple, and then a blur of midnight blue fur darted across the small clearing and barreled right into the two lovers lying on that bright green patch of grass.

"Rahu!" The blondes called out together. The manticore began wiggling about in his excited state, his tail and tongue making equal amount of contact with each mages face.

After a few minutes, they managed to get the wiggling down to just Rahu's tail while he laid in between the two and allowed them to cuddle him between themselves as if he were their child, with Laxus scratching behind his ears and Lucy rubbing his belly.

"Rahu, thank the gods you're okay! I've missed you so much my good boy. You're not hurt are you? I wouldn't know what to do with myself if you got hurt."

"Lucy, babe, calm down. He's okay. Look at his tail going. He's just overly excited right now. Now, as for the answer to your earlier question, I have no clue. Maybe after everything gets rebuilt, again, you can just come plop down in my lap one day and give me a big kiss. That would definitely clue them in." Laxus smirked at her and winked in a roguish manner, yet failed terribly at his desired effect.

Lucy simply rolled her eyes before reaching over and smacking her boyfriend on the back of the head, "You're such a goof. Sometimes I wonder what I'm ever going to do with you."

"Love me forever and make sure I don't get into too much trouble?" he suggested.

Lucy giggled at him, "I already love you, and I already keep you out of trouble too."

Laxus, instead of answering, simply smirked and turned his head to nuzzle his face into the crook of his girlfriend's neck, closing his eyes and enjoying her strawberry and vanilla wafer scent.

"Laxus."

"Hmmmm." He couldn't form words. He was too busy thoroughly enjoying the warmth of Lucy's neck and drowning himself in the sound of her quickened heartbeat.

"I'm ready." He felt her shift a little, as if trying to look at his face that was cradled against her body.

"Mmmm, ready for what?" he hummed quietly.

"For sex." She said simply, as if she was saying she was hungry, or tired.

Laxus's eyes immediately snapped open as he shot up to look down at Lucy, who wore an expression of utter trust and adoration. Unfortunately, he had managed to rattle Rahu, who had been sleeping quietly during their exchange and gave out a whine at the sudden change.

"Lucy… Are you sure of this? If you aren't completely sure, we don't have to. I already told that I would wait as long as you needed me to. Hell, even if that means until marriage." He was staring down at his blonde companion with concern and understanding in his eyes.

Lucy smiled up at Laxus, and she couldn't ever remember feeling so loved. Even when her mother had been alive and loved her, it had been different. She was an heiress and always had different people bustling about when she was with her mother. But to Lucy this was almost better. She loved these quiet moments with Laxus in which it was just the two of them with Rahu and they could be open and vulnerable together. Moments like these made her heart swell up in her chest with love and adoration so great that she sometimes wondered if it were possible to just burst from it all, "I'm very sure, Laxus. I love you, and I'm ready. I know that I used to talk about how I wanted to save it for my one and only, but Laxus… I want to share it with you. You're so special to me and I want this. Gods help me because I think I want to marry you one day, and spend my life with you, but if for whatever reason we don't do that, then I still won't ever regret being with you, and I know that for a fact."

Laxus couldn't help but feel a little dumbfounded. But he could also feel other emotions warring for dominance. Joy, love, gratefulness, adoration, apprehensiveness, and most of all… wonder and excitement. But not excitement about the sex itself. No, it was excitement about knowing that she wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. Hell, if he had a ring with him, he's propose on the spot. He had never before felt so much love for another. He had never wanted someone inside his heart like she was now.

"Lucy… I love you so much. If you really want this… then how about after everything gets rebuilt, we go on a little vacation? I can take you anywhere you want to go. We can go to the beach so you can be next to the water and listen to the ocean, or we could go up north, where I hear you can see more stars in the sky than there are people in Earthland, and you can play in the snow, and maybe I can teach you how to snowboard. Or—"

Lucy laughed at him. A full bellied, tinkling laugh that sounded to Laxus as if a fairy had somehow found its way into the clearing. He smiled along with her and when her laughs died down to quiet chuckles, he leaned down and kissed her softly. Lucy let out a sigh of contentment and leaned into the kiss, gliding her tongue over his bottom lip. He chuckled and opened up. The two let their tongues dance together as the last of the light of day was expelled and the silvery light of the moon took its place, giving the three an almost ethereal glow.

The two finally separated once Rahu officially woke up and stuck his muzzle right in their faces, trying to join in the attention. Lucy's laughter once again rang out across the clearing as she kissed Rahu all over his face.

"Ugh. I don't wanna move." Laxus groaned quietly, "Can we just stay the night in the clearing and cuddle with Rahu? Little guy puts out some heat."

Lucy once more rolled her eyes at her boyfriend, "Quit being melodramatic. We can just go back to your place and cuddle tonight since you don't actually live in Magnolia and your house is more likely to have survived than mine. Hell, I know for a fact that mine got destroyed. I was kinda there when it happened. Also, Rahu is not little, you're just freakishly huge"

Deciding not to point out the innuendo, Laxus sighed. He had seen the rubble that had been her apartment at one point in time when he was looking for her. He also knew that Freed's runes should have protected his home, so she was probably right that his house was still intact, "You're right, of course. But that doesn't change the fact that I don't want to move at all."

"Well." Lucy said as she sat upright and picked herself up off the ground, "That must suck. Come on, Sparky. We can't be lazy forever and I'd rather cuddle with you in a bed instead of getting all wet due to dew."

He snorted at her wording and finally got up along with Rahu, who promptly shook himself and trotted to the edge of the clearing, in the direction which would lead them to Laxus's home.

The two lovers held hands the whole, way, enjoying the feel of having the other there and safe. They silently vowed to themselves then that no matter what, they would make sure that the other was always happy and healthy. That they would fight for and with each other so that they would never have to give the other up. They swore to love the other, no matter what challenges they may face.

Once they reached Laxus's home, they barely changed clothes—Laxus simply stripping down to his boxers, and Lucy going down to her underwear while borrowing one of Laxus's shirts that she looked like she could swim in. They collapsed on the bed, not even bothering to get beneath the covers, and Rahu took his rightful place at the foot of the bed, his star-like white spots giving off an extremely faint glow of contentedness.

 **Alright guys. I'm going to go ahead and say that I do recognize that it has been a very long time since I updated but I promise it's not always going to be like this. I've had a lot of things going on that have made life particularly stressful, to include,but not limited to: my laptop not working, my parents getting a divorce, my little brother refusing to eat, and work bearing down. I know that's no excuse to leave you guys hanging for so long but I am really just asking you guys to bear with me for just a little while. Just for you guys, this chapter is super fluffy and the next chapter will be about twice the length of this one (which is about 2,600 words, not including my AN) and will definitely include the guild finding out about their relationship (hehe) and them talking about Aquarius's key.**

 **Now that I have that out of the way, for those of you who also read What Could Have Been (WCHB) by myself, that will be not be updated until after the next chapter of this story gets uploaded. I'm sorry if that upsets you, but I committed myself to this story first, so in the end, this story will always come first. I also have another one shot in mind of an AU but that won't happen for another while. So please forgive me, and I thank you all for your patience with me and my story. I promise that I am not abandoning either of my projects, nor am I putting anything on hiatus. I love you all so much and thank you for reading and any reviews that you provide! Have a great day everybody! Hey**


	9. Fairy Tail Finds Out

Lucy POV

I woke to the feeling of cold wetness along my neck, which made me draw up my shoulder to try and protect my throat from the ticklish sensation. When the cold wetness only dug deeper to try and nuzzle my chin, I let out a giggle as my eyes opened and I saw Rahu with his muzzle snuggled into my neck ashe was trying to lick me awake, just like he tended to do most mornings.

I turned my head when I heard Laxus let out a groan at my sudden wiggling. Pushing Rahu away a bit, I leaned up and looked down on Laxus's face. I marveled at how peaceful he looked with his face relaxed. He looked like a much younger man, who had never gone through the horrors of an abusive, neglectful Father, or had a lacrima shoved behind his eye at a young age either. I reached up and ran a finger gently over his scar, careful not to put any kind of pressure on the puckered flesh. I can still remember when he told me that it still hurt sometimes. The memory always made my chest ache, wishing that I could take all his pain away from him. I leaned down and pressed my lips to his eyebrow gently before pulling back to find his storm gray eyes open and staring at me.

As we made eye contact, I could see the love he held for me in his eyes. This is what I always enjoyed most. Getting to see something that no one else could. When he and I were alone we were both more open than we were with everyone else. Laxus smiled and leaned up, giving me a chaste kiss, which I returned readily, when a thought occurred to me and made me giggle again.

"What's going through that devious little head of yours, hmmm?" Laxus said as he pulled back with a playful smirk.

"Just thinking of when we first started dating and you caught me staring at you when you woke up." I replied quietly. The atmosphere was just too peaceful for me to break it with loud words.

"Heh. I remember that. I have never seen someone's face turn such a violent shade of red in my life. It was quite possibly the most adorable thing you've done to date. Or at least, it's in the running."

"Hey. You know how shy I used to be. You can't blame me for blushing."

"You say shy, I say adorable." He said. Before I could reply, he pulled me all the way on top of him so that our bodies were making full contact. I couldn't even complain. He was just too comfortable.

"Hey Luce, I need to ask you something." He said a little more seriously than I had expected. He wasvery rarely serious around me, and that knowledge worried me.

"What is it Lax? You know you can ask me anything."

"Marry me. I know I don't have a ring right now, but I don't ever want you out of my life. You've turned into my best friend, confidant… my light. I know this might be too soon, but you're so much stronger than I could ever be and I want you by my side, alwa—holy shit, babe, please don't cry. You don't have to say yes I promi—"

"Laxus Dreyar, please shut up."

He just stared at me, wide eyed for a moment before I finally found my voice again, "Of course I will marry you, you idiot. I don't care about a ring, or what others might say. I love you and I want you by my side too. Propriety be damned, my answer is an overwhelming yes, Laxus."

I've never seen him smile so bright, or felt him squeeze me so tight.

 _Laxus POV_

After I proposed to Lucy and she accepted, 'holy shit I almost can't believe she said yes', I dragged her into yet another snuggle session and we talked about how long we wanted to wait until the ceremony and how we were going to tell the guild that not only were we in a relationship, but that we were engaged.

I felt another tidal wave of happiness crash though my chest at the thought of Lucy as my fiancé. There were very few people who I was open with and even then I wasn't nearly as open as I was with Lucy.

I finally walked up to what remained of the guild and noticed that a lot of the other members were there. Erza was among them as she was leading the rebuilding effort.

"Laxus!" I turned around, careful to keep my expression as blank as possible. I quickly recognizedthe pink head of hair running towards me with some stupid smile on his face and his fist lit with fire. Before Natsu could so much as get a hit in, I slammed my bare fist down on the top of his head and watched as the cobble stone street beneath him cracked a bit. Smirking a bit I made my way towards Erza to get the general idea of what she needed me to do.

"Hey Erza." The red head turned at the sound of my voice and she put her hands on her hips.

"Hello, Laxus. Have you seen Lucy anywhere? I know you were one of the people helping to look for her. No one else could find her at all and I'm beginning to worry."

"Yeah. I found her last night in the forest laying on some grass. I ended up taking her to stay at my place Because hers was demolished in the fight. She's okay other than some various cuts and bruises."

"Well then that is good. Is she still at your home? I will go get her. I'm sure she would rather stay with someone she knows a bit better."

I growled. I already knew that Lucy's old team would probably not quite like me and her together, but I didn't give a damn. Erza was pushing my buttons right now, "She's fine where she is. You will leave her alone and let her rest. Either way, my home is protected with runes which forbid anyone from entering without my permission, with very few exceptions." _Like Lucy._

"She is my teammate—"

"Yes. Your teammate who you left behind for an entire year." I glared down at the armored woman, feeling my ire rise at her need to always tell everybody around her what to do. It had been like that since she was younger and I had always found it annoying.

Erza was staring at me as if I had actually hit her when I heard a soft voice call to me from behind me.

"Guys, please don't argue over me. I'm fine, see? Virgo came and put some healing ointment on meand it fixed me right up."

I turned to see my fiancée walking towards us and I immediately made my way to her with a frown on my face, "Blondie, you should be still in bed. I told you not to come out today."

Lucy smiled softly before simply waving me off with a motion of her hand then turning toward Erza with a small frown, "And Erza, I am perfectly okay with staying with Laxus. I'd prefer it right now actually. Now, what are we doing and what do you need me to do?"

Erza gaped at Lucy for a moment before recovering herself and clearing her throat, "Well first, ask if Wendy can look you over for injuries. If she clears you, then you can begin by helping us move the building materials to their designated areas and after that is done, since I know you are good at drawing and math, I will also have Levy, Freed, Warren and you begin to draw up the blue prints while the rest ofus are setting the foundations. Is this amiable to you?"

My frown deepened at the thought of Lucy doing anything really physical right now but she must have had other ideas, "Sounds great, Erza! I'll go find Wendy right now."

And then she was off and walking away. I started to trail behind her when I felt an armor clad hand onmy shoulder, stopping me.

"What is your connection to Lucy?" Her tone was dangerous, and if I were anyone else, it'd probably intimidate me. But I was me, and I was getting pissy with her prying.

"None of your damned business." I pulled my shoulder out of her grip before moving over to the largepiles of metal beams before picking five up and carrying them off to their designated places.

Time skip to a month later, the town is rebuilt*

Third Person POV

The town of Magnolia was finally rebuilt, as well as the guildhall of Fairy Tail, and the townspeople went about their days with smiles on their faces, as they were finally able to hear their resident mages beingas rambunctious as ever. Inside the guild, however, there was some noise being made that was not the normal morning brawl.

"Absolutely not!" "What?!" "But Luce!"

Lucy sat at her teams table. She had made the decision a while back to be a less active part of Team Natsu. They were far too destructive and now was the time that she needed to be saving for the wedding. The one that no one but Mira (she had seen the ring that Lucy had begun wearing on her ring finger and demanded to know everything), Levy, and the Thunder Legion knew about. Yet. They already planned on announcing things to the guild next week with a bash of sorts.

As of this moment, she had just told her team that she was going to begin going on more frequent solojobs, instead of only going with them or just Natsu. She would still be on the team, but she wanted to go alone sometimes too. Calmly, Lucy explained, "I'm not leaving the team, you guys. But I do want to beable to take a solo job without you guys almost bringing down the guildhall when Mira tells you. I am 20years old and a very accomplished mage thus far. I am definitely strong enough to do things on my own and I would greatly appreciate not being smothered and overprotected by those who should trust in my strength most of all."

On the second floor, Laxus was listening to the situation very carefully. Lucy's apartment had been rebuilt but she had decided to live in his house with him, which he loved to no end. He also took close notes to how Rahu was sitting at her side, with his head in her lap. He knew that if the other three morons were to get out of hand, the Rahu would back her up without question. As it were, Laxus wasnot liking how they had reacted at all. They should be willing to go along with her wished, but heknew that their reaction had hurt her deeply already.

"Well I suppose you have a point," Gray was the first to say anything after she finished, "and as long as you aren't leaving the team, I'm fine with whatever. I can see that you're serious and I trust that youcan handle yourself. Just try your best to come back in one piece, alright?" Gray had always been more laidback than the other two, and Lucy viewed him as a brother that she never had. He had been a cool,steady hand for her many times in the years they had known each other and his approval probably meant the most to her out of the three.

"I still say no, Lucy. I suppose I could understand the sentiment, but I do not like the idea of you going alone at all. We are a team for a reason."

"Luce, I don't want you going alone either. I think it's a stupid idea." Natsu said as he crossed his arms and pouted.

Lucy felt the hurt setting in. She was very thankful to Gray for understanding her feelings, but to be dismissed so quickly by those closest to her hurt her. She couldn't understand why they were treating her more like a porcelain doll than a well accomplished mage. It just didn't make any sense to her.

"Well then I guess it's a good thing that neither of you are Master then huh? I asked you guys what you thought out of respect for the team—by the way, thank you Gray for understanding—but that doesn't mean that you get to tell me no. I didn't want to leave the team, I just wanted to be able to go on my own sometimes. But this? This just tells me that you two don't trust me and my magic to be able to handle jobs on my own, and I find that very hurtful. Natsu, you are my best friend, but I have been working on my own for the most part and training very hard, and this just shows me that you only see me as a damsel in distress."

Natsu gaped at Lucy. He had never seen her as a damsel in distress. He promised her that he would always protect her and be there for her, and he supposed that maybe he was being a little over-bearing. But the thought of some jerk trying to hurt her angered him beyond words. He cared very deeply for Lucy. So much so that he had once wanted something with her, but he didn't think that she felt the same. Finally, Natsu drooped his shoulders a little in defeat. She was right. The way he was acting was very hurtful towards her. She had always told him that she believed in him, but right now he needed to be the one to do the same for her.

"Erza," Lucy said after seeing Natsu finally understand a little better, "you well and truly are the big sister I never had. I have always looked up to you because of your strength of will and how much you truly love and care about our Fairy Tail family, and that someone I look up to and love like my sister doesn't believe in me hurts almost more. I even discovered an aspect of my magic that is similar to yours because I wanted to be strong like you for so long."

Erza was disappointed in herself. She had seen Lucy as a sister and her closest confidant for a very long time. They had girl days and talked about underwear and fashion all the time, and Lucy was the only person in the guild other than Wendy who didn't fear her at all. Lucy always treated Erza like a normal girl, which no one else did. When Erza was feeling some type of way, she always went to Lucy. When she wanted to rant and scream, Lucy would listen; if she wanted comfort, Lucy would cradle and sing to her until she was calm; if she just needed to work through something in silence but still wanted company, she would go to Lucy, because Lucy understood and never felt a specific need to fill the silence like so many others always did.

"You're right, Luce. I'm sorry that I wasn't understanding. I just want to protect you. I promised myself that I would never let anyone else hurt you and I guess I let that promise cloud my ability to see your feelings too. I understand if you want to go solo more often. I trust your mind and your magic to get you through any obstacles you face. And I can promise you right now, I never viewed you as a damsel in distress."

Up on the second floor, Laxus was all too surprised by Natsu's little speech. He found it unusually deep for the dense slayer, but he also supposed that it was possible the little monster had actually grown up a bit over the last year and after losing his father for good. As he heard Erza begin her speech, he refocused on the conversation.

"I am also sorry, Lucy. You are my sister, as far as I care, and always will be. I suppose that I wasn't very understanding either because I care so deeply for you. You are so much stronger than me and I honestly just wish I could do more for you. So please, strike me for my rudeness!"

Lucy simply giggled at her two friend, glad that they finally understood her feelings, "I forgive you guys. Just please don't try so hard to protect me, and let me do some of the protecting too, ya know? You guys are my family and I love you too dearly to not help you guys out too." She could feel her heart swelling with love for her teammates as they all smiled each other and grabbed each other's hands.

After a few more minutes of lounging around and talking to her team, she got up and went to the job board to look and see if there was anything interesting she could do to earn some shopping money. After the decimation of her apartment, she had found that about half her clothes were beyond repair and she needed to get some new ones. As she was looking, the guild doors blew wide open and a blue ball of fur came hurtling into her chest, a panicked look on his face, "Luuuuuccyyyyy!"

She easily caught the little Exceed and held him against her chest as per usual, "Hello, Happy. Is everything alright?"

The blue Exceed shook his head quickly, "No! You gotta hide, Lucy! That creepy guy that's super obsessed with you is on his way here right now! He could be here any minu—"

"Oh Luuuuucy! My darling, sweet, beautiful muse! Where are yoooou?"

At the sound of Dan Straight's voice, Lucy visibly paled. She dropped Happy quickly and turned around to run out of the back of the guild when he caught sight of her and she could feel the shiver of disgust run up and down her spine.

Above, Laxus already knew that he hated the guy. He wasn't necessarily the jealous type, but he definitely did not like that someone else was calling his fiancée theirs. He especially felt his ire rise at the sight of Lucy paling and turning to run away. He'd finally decided he had enough when the stranger reached out to grab Lucy and she shrieked.

Using Lightning Body, Laxus flashed down to the first floor, zapping the man and grabbing Lucy before flashing back up to the second floor where he sat in his previous seat, cuddling Lucy to his chest protectively and glaring down at the now twitching auburn haired stranger. In the silence left behind his actions, he could hear the clicking of Rahu's nails on the wood as he made his way upstairs, completely unperturbed by the commotion Laxus caused, nor the stifling silence now.

The rest of Fairy Tail were left stunned as everything happened too fast for anyone to really understand it. When they looked around for Lucy, the were shocked by the sight of her in Laxus's lap, with his arms securely wrapped around her, and her cuddling her head into the crook of his neck, and her left hand pressed against his chest.

The first to speak once they found their voice was Erza, "What do you think you're doing with Lucy?" the vivacious redhead asks tersely.

"Holding my fiancée." He responded just as bluntly.

Erza was gob smacked at the response, losing her focus for a moment before turning towards Lucy and demanding, "Is this true Lucy?!"

Lucy, having lost any sense of sheepishness or bashfulness (mostly thanks to Laxus and his incessant teasing), simply lifted her head and smiled gently, "Well we were waiting to announce it until next week, when we were going to throw a party and explain everything. But to put it simply, yes. He is my fiancé."

"EH?!" was the whole guilds reaction, minus Mira, Master Makarov, and The Thunder Legion.

Natsu was the first to recover, and he grinned broadly, though his feelings were a little hurt, he understood that Lucy had her reasons for not immediately telling him about things, "Well congrats, guys! You better treat her right, Laxus. That's my best friend you're gonna marry."

Laxus simply rolled his eyes and smirked, giving a one shake nod towards his fellow Dragon Slayer.

Gray was next, "Try not to give my little sis too much grief. She's strong enough to put you in your place, and she has me to help."

This time, Laxus chuckled, knowing that the ice mage was only half joking and he found it a relief that someone like him was on Lucy's side.

"I know this may come across the wrong way, but I must ask the question. You do not feel pressured at all, do you Lucy? I only ask because this is very sudden." Erza had a genuinely concerned look on her face and Lucy understood the mage better than most.

So while Laxus was growling at the question, Lucy simply smiled and shook her head at the woman she considered her sister, "No, Erza. I love him. I know that this seems very sudden, but I promise you that I am so very happy with him. I feel like I can just be myself and he cares about me too."

Erza smiled and nodded at Lucy and Lucy felt relief that her team understood and accepted her decision.

Suddenly turning, Laxus heard the stranger which he had zapped start to regain consciousness and he tightened his grip on Lucy, letting her know that it would be okay and that she was safe with him. Lucy looked up at Laxus for a moment with a grateful smile before turning once again towards Dan, who was finally coming to.

The first thing Dan realized was that the infamously rowdy guild was dead quiet, and that they were all looking at him.

The next thing he saw was Lucy sitting in the lap of the equally infamous Laxus Dreyar.

"What's going on, Lucy? Why are you letting him hold you like that?" Dan asked.

"Dan, I have told you over and over again that I am in no way interested in you. And for your information, this is my fiancé."

The rest of Fairytail watched in awkward amusement as the auburn hair mage cast a downward look and began trudging towards the guild doors once more. Most everyone had known that Dan had had a borderline obsession with their Celestial Mage that toed the line between just odd to creepy on a regular basis.

As soon as Dan was far enough away, all of Fairytail proceeded to lose their damn minds. Asking Laxus and Lucy question after question and the two betrothed firing off answers just as quickly.

All the women demanded to see the ring that rested on her finger. It was nothing too special, a simple gold band inlaid with a salt water pearl and a beautiful swirling engraving circling the outside. It was simple, yet elegantly beautiful, much like it'swearer.

"I'm surprised that it is a pearl instead of a giant diamond though. I mean, Laxus certainly has the money to do something like that." That comment came from Evergreen.

Lucy smiled at her comment, knowing that she meant no ill will, "Actually, I hate diamonds. I remember telling him that very early on when he got me a necklace with a moonstone in it and I told him that I had been worried that it would be something diamond, and that I adored the necklace."

"You hate diamonds? Why?" That was Levy.

"Because of the way I was raised. Diamonds were always considered extravagant and many suiters would buy me diamond jewelry. I always found it all so gaudy and horrible. I like simple and elegant jewelry, or other types of gift that come from the heart. I even asked him if he'd like to get ring tattoos instead, but he wanted to go the traditional route."

"That is just too cute! And I totally understand, Lu."

Lucy looked up just as she felt a familiar magic nearing her and the group, "Blondie, I think it's about time for us to head home. We've had a long day and you need your rest if you and Cana are still planning on going on a job soon."

Smiling she heard Cana yell from across the guild: "Bet your sweet ass!"

The two blondes chuckled at the woman before making their way back home, Rahu trailing behind.

As they arrived home, Laxus swept Lucy up in his arms bridal style and walked her into the house, "Sparky, what are you doing?"

"Practicing"

 **Hey guys! I managed to get this update out a lot sooner than any of the others. I don't know what came over me but honestly I just couldn't stop writing! I hope this is enough for now. I know I said that this chapter would include the talk about Aquarius but honestly that probably would have taken too much time and I was seriously enjoying writing about Fairytail's reaction, and I decided that it was time for Lucy to show off her independence. Also, thank you, my dear reviewers, for all your support and understanding. Things just keep getting more complicated by the minute but I take real enjoyment from writing and it helps me to relax. Also, I want to formally apologize for the super short chapters previously, but they were a necessary evil. The time for those is over though and I promise that for the foreseeable future I will have very long winded chapters. I am so glad that you guys are enjoying my story, and prepare for some minor timeskips in the near future (next chapter). Also, I want to warn you guys (and I'll remind you with another A/N) that there will be some minor smut next chapter, but nothing too much. Alright, I'll stop wasting y'all's time and hop off. I will post again soon, if life permits and I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Good Morning, Good Afternoon, and Good Evening, everybody!**


	10. AN PLEASE READ

Alright. So this isn't an actual chapter and I am so so sorry that this isn't an actual update, but this will explain a lot, I promise.

So these past months have been really turbulent and I know I've promised updates. You'll get them by the end of this month.

 _However_

The reason for the turbulence has been the fact that my parents are going through a messy divorce, with me trying to keep my little brother as sane as possible with him being caught in the middle. I've also been trying to deal with my medical discharge from the military and get into college to further my skills. It probably doesn't help that my laptop crashed unexpectedly.

So, I am sorry once again for the lack of updates and for this not being a chapter.

Thank you all again for your patience and I promise that the updates will come soon. Please just continue to have patience with me!

Have a wonderful day, and stay happy my friends!


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